Rice-cleaning machine



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.. J. H. ROMAN. RICE CLEANING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 12, I895.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. V

J. H. RGMAN.

RICE CLEANING MACHINE.

.No. 535,416. Patented Mar. 12, 1896.

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MED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACQUES HARRY ROMAN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

RICE-CLEANING MACHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,416, dated March12, 1895.

Application filed October 25, 1893. Serial No,489,147. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACQUES HARRY ROMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRice-Cleaning Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to machines for cleaning grain and moreespecially for effecting the separation of black seeds and otherimpurities from rice and other grain of similar shape.

The invention consists in the features of construction and novelcombinations of parts in a rice cleaning apparatus as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention-Figure 1 is avertical longitudinal section of my improved rice cleaning machine. Fig.2 is a vertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of themachine, and Fig. 4 is a plan of the shaking screen and its imperforatetop, or cover.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the post orstandards of an upright rectangular frame.

To the side cross bars 2 of the upper portion of the machine frame arepivotally at-. tached the upper ends of a suitable number of hangers 3that support a shaking screen for cleaning rice. This screen shouldpreferably be wider than it is long so that alarger feed may be spreadon the upper end thereof.

The frame of the shaking screen comprises side bars 4 to which the lowerends of the hangers 3 are pivotally attached. These side bars 4 supportthe screen bottom 5 which consists of a perforated sheet metal platewhose perforations 6 should be of a diameter sufficiently large toaiford ample opportunity for the sifting through of dirt and refuse. Tothe upper side of the perforated screen bottom 5 are secured a series oflongitudinally arranged steel bars 7, one on each side and one or moreat intermediate points. These bars 7 support an imperforate screen topor cover 8, that is parallel with and close to the perforated portionsof the screen bottom and nearly coversit. The bars 7 are placedlengththickness of the bars 7, should be less than the length of thegrain to be cleaned so that the grain will be prevented from gettinginto an upright position and will be compelled to pass between thescreen bottom and top only in a flatwise position. Thus while the dirtand refuse will find free exit downward through the perforations of thescreen bottom, the cleansed and perfect grain will roll flatwise alongthe upper side of the screen bottom and escape only from its lower end.This especial feature is old in the art and I do not claim it as a partof my invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the hangers 3 that support the opposite ends of theshaking screen are of such relative length as to give the screenasuitable inclination downward and forward, to facilitate the passage ofgrain along the same.

Extended across the upper end of the shaking screen is a hopper 9 thatis supported on and carried by the screen. The upper porwise between thescreen bottom 5 and screen top 8 and are securely bolted or otherwisesecured to both. They serve to provideaspace of uniform height betweenthe perforated screen bottom and its imperforated top or cover. Thedistances between the screen bottom 5 and screen top 8, as determined bythe tion of the screen bottom is plain, smooth A and imperforated for adistance of about six or eight inches from its rear edge. The hopper 9is arranged to discharge its contents onto the smooth imperforated upperend of the screen bottom 5, on which the grain will be evenlydistributed by the vibratory motion of the screen, and will be caused tofall flatwise before it is gradually impelled on to and along theperforated portion of the screen bottom to its lower end, dropping itsimpurities through the perforations, while the cleansed grain isdischarged into any suitable receptacle. Black seeds, small pods, orimperfect grains that are smaller than the perfect grain, though of thesame thickness and width and even somewhat more, but not so long, willpass through the perforations together with dirt and other refuse.

The shaking screen may be operated in any suitable manner, as forinstance, by power applied to a pulley 10 on a shaft 11 journaled inbearings at one end of the machine frame,

and having eccentrics or cranks 12 connected by pitrnen 13 to atransverse rod or shaft 14 supported. by the side bars 4 of the screen.

At the lower end of the screen is placed an inclined table or chute 15over which the cleansed grain is allowed to roll into a suitablereceptacle. A large hopper 16 is provided below the whole of the shakingscreen to collect the dirt and refuse in readiness to be conveyed awayby any suitable or convenient means.

It will be observed that the screen cover 8 and hopper 9 are bothsupported on and carried by the shaking screen, so that a properparallelism of the screen top and perforated screen bottom is alwaysmaintained; the distance between the screen top and screen bottom beingat all times uniform throughout, so that the grain will not be subjectedto crowding or crushing at any point in its passage along the screen.

Above the hopper 9 of the shaking screen and rigidly supported by themachine frame, is a distributing or feeding device comprising a trough17 which is secured to the rear cross bar of the frame. The bottom ofthis trough is provided with a slotted opening 18 about an inch or aninch and a half wide, which extends the entire length of the trough. Avalve plate or false bottom 19 is hinged at its rear edge to the underside of the trough bottom in such manner as to control the slottedopenings. The front of the trough 17 is provided with suitable bearingsfor the vertical screw shafts 20 which support the horizontal arms 21that are extended rearward between guides 22 and beneath the hingedvalve 19, as shown. By turning the screw shafts 20 the arms 21 may beraised or lowered to raise or lower the hinged valve 19, and thuscontrol the slotted opening 18 in the bottom of the distributing trough.

In the distributing trough 17 is mounted a screw conveyer 23 and aboveone end of the screw conveyer is a feed hopper 24 through which thegrain to be cleansed and separated from refuse is delivered to thedistributing devices. A pulley 25, on the shaft of the screw conveyer,is connected by belting to a pulley 26 on the shaft 11 from which theshaking screen is actuated.

By means of the valve 19 and its operating or adjusting mechanism thedischarge of grain from the distributer trough 17 into the screen hopper9 can be regulated at will.

VVheu the machine is put in operation by power applied to the shaftll,the grain placed in the hopper 24 is distributed uniformly throughoutthe trough 17 by the screw conveyer 23 and passes through the slottedopening 18 into the screen hopper 9 and thence on to the imperforated orsmooth portion of the screen bottom 5 being thus turned fiatwise beforepassing on to the perforated portion of the shaking screen. Thedistributing mechanism delivers the grain evenly and in uniformquantities throughout the length of the screen hopper 9 on to the smoothimperperforated upper portion of the screen bottom. The grain passesflat-wise along the vibratory screen bottom 5 and beneath the closelyadjacent screen top 8 to the lower end of the screen and is dischargedover the chute 15 into any suitable receptacle,while the separated dirtand refuse pass through the perforations in the screen bottom into thehopper 16 whence it may be conveyed in any suitable manner to a distantpoint.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a rice-cleaning machine, the combination of a frame, the vibratoryshaking screen having rigidly attached thereto, an imperforate top orcover with bars secured between said screen and said cover to insure theuniform distance between the two, a hopper at the upper end of saidscreen, hangers suspending the screen and its top and hopper from theframe, a trough supported on one end of the frame above the screenhopper and parallel thereto and having in its bottom a longitudinallyextended feed opening, a long valve plate or false bottom 19 hinged atone side of the said longitudinal feed opening and extending beneath thesame, a plurality of transverse arms extending from the opposite side ofsaid feed opening beneath said valve plate, nuts secured to saidconveyor trough, and vertical screws, with hand wheels for turning thesame engaging in said nuts, and moving said arms, and thereby regulatingthe width of said feed opening, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

JACQUES HARRY ROMAN.

Witnesses:

WALTER H. CooK, SIDNEY G. 000K.

